Somewhere in Time
by Clavel
Summary: Second chances don't come often, especially when they mean going back in time (over 1000 years!) to make all the choices you didn't get to make before. Do-Over AU
1. Prologue

**Hello everyone!**  
**So, I still exist in a way, I just haven't felt very motivated to write and I'm not even sure this is any good, probably because I've been living with it for so long.**  
**But I do know that if I keep it in a drawer for a while longer, it will simply never see the light of day.**

**So here it is!**

**Enjoy the prologue and then stick around to read the proper first chapter tomorrow.**

**Thanks to Sandy for her infinite patience.**

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**Somewhere in Time**

**Prologue**

**The Unsent Letter**

_If I close my eyes, I can feel you near me, my shelter. Even now, I want you here; I wait for you._

_Time slips between my fingers and can't seem to stop thinking of those years I kept you at arm's length, afraid to feel too much for you, not realizing that you were already in my heart._

_I should have trusted you – us- more, held your hand, told you I love you… sooner and more often. I shouldn't have let doors close between us._

_If I could, I would go back and say "yes" the first time you asked me to marry you._

_I would go back to the first day we met, and I would hold on so tight, and I would never let you go._

..0..

**Seoul, 2016**

The pain in her lungs is what wakes her and Go Ha Jin isn't sure if her heart is about to break or about to stop. She isn't sure which one would hurt less. Slowly, Ha Jin turned to her side and tried to settle, catching a glimpse of the clock on the night table; it was 3 AM and anguish filled every part of her body. Images she can't never quite grasp filter through her mind, frustrating her with her own inability to truly remember anything.

The only thing she knew for certain anymore was that she had lost something precious at the bottom of the lake, the day she had almost drowned. How much time had passed since then? Since she woke up from the comma? Did it even matter anymore?

...

Work is, at least, a distraction. For a few minutes at a time Ha Jin is able to focus on someone else and make them feel beautiful, make herself feel useful, like her old self. But on that afternoon – working at the museum's store – she faltered, losing her train of thought in the middle of talking to clients often enough that she was sent off to take a break.

Some vaguely familiar man directed her toward the newly opened Goryeo exhibit on the life of Gwangjong, the fourth king of Goryeo. She wanders from room to room, looking without really seeing anything until she stops in front of a massive reproduction of a recently unearthed portrait of King Gwangjong painted shortly after he took the throne.

"Wang So," Ha Jin whispers as she collapses unto herself, but she's not just Go Ha Jin. A new consciousness awakens: Hae Soo and her memories.

They rob her of breath and pierce her heart.

"I'm sorry I left you alone." She whispers over and over, sobbing. "I'm so sorry."

-.-

It's strange, Ha Jin thinks to her self as she sees her body lying on the floor while two paramedics poke her and shine light in her eyes. She's there but she's not, standing just to the side, invisible.

And that's when she sees him.

She can't see his face, but she would know those shoulders anywhere. His hair is much shorter, cut in neat, dark layers slicked into submission. He's walking, briefcase in hand, talking through a Bluetooth piece and typing on his phone at the same time. He steps around the paramedics, vaguely glancing at her body on the floor, but just keeps walking without stopping. She is nothing and no one to him.

Before she can register the pain of her heart breaking for the second time in less than 10 minutes, she feels herself moving backward, pulled by some force she can't identify. And suddenly, she's at the bottom of that like, the sky growing dark over head even though it's midday.

The eclipse.

The day she drowned.

The day she woke up as Hae Soo, more than a thousand years in the past.

She is Hae Soo and Go Ha Jin .

And she remembers what dying felt like.

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Thanks so much for reading, and please leave a comment if you can :D


	2. Stranger Places

**Here it is! Please enjoy.**

**Thanks to Sandy, as always. **

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**Chapter One**

**_Stranger Places_**

Déjà vu.

That's the word for it, right? Go Ha Jin is almost certain of it.

One moment she was drowning, and then she was emerging from that pool, a young man screaming on her face and some strange young woman calling her 'Ahgassi" and waving frantically, dragging her away before she collapsed.

Waking up again wearing a strange, loose white hanbok, inside an old-fashioned house and the worried face of Lady Hae Mung Hee. As soon as she saw the older woman, tears came to her eyes and she threw herself into her arms, crying with a relief she couldn't understand; while Lady Hae patted her back and asked someone to go see if the doctor had arrived.

A little later, she sat on the bed, refusing to let go of Lady Hae's hand while the doctor felt her head – there was a big lump on the side – and asked her a variety of questions she couldn't quite answer.

"Memory loss," the doctor declares after a while, "probably due to the bump on her head. You said she slipped and fell while you were walking, right?"

"That's right," the young woman from before answered, from somewhere behind Lady Hae.

The elderly doctor nodded, applying some salve on top of the bump, making Ha Jin wince, before wrapping a soft, white bandage around her head. "It's hard to say with this type of injuries, but things will probably come back to her after a while. Just let her rest."

"Thank you, doctor," Lady Hae said softly, patting Ha Jin's hand in reassurance.

As the doctor left, another man came into the room.

"Lady Hae, are you well? I saw the doctor leaving." He said kindly, making Lady Hae smile, even as she coughed a little.

"I'm fine. Soo-ah, however had a little accident, your highness."

"Accident?" The man asked suspiciously, turning to Ha Jin

It was then that the visions came. Visions, memories, flashbacks – she wasn't sure what to call them, they crowded her mind and made them freeze as Lady Hae explained that Hae Soo had memory loss.

"Soo-ah, this is my husband, the Eight Prince Wang Wook." Lady Hae said as an introduction.

"Wang? Goryeo's Wang?" Ha Jin asked, thinking back to what little she remembered learning of history.

"That's right Hae Soo-ssi." The prince said, coming closer, his hand outstretched, offering it to her. "This is my household, and you are safe here."

Ha Jin blinked, as two images came to her mind almost at the exact same moment. The first, was a scene much like this, where this man offered his protection – it even seemed like it was in this very same room – but that was quickly followed by another image of this man. Ha Jin could feel it as if it were happening at the instant: rain pelting her mercilessly, searing pain on her knees, cold… and the man in front of her turning his back to her and walking away without ever looking back.

Ha Jin shook herself, shrinking back against Lady Hae. "I'm tired, unnie." She said, nodding toward the prince as his hand dropped.

"All right, get some rest." Lady Hae said, giving her back one last pat before asking the maid – Chae Ryung – to stay near by in case Soo-ah needed something.

Deep in the night, once Chae Ryung had finally fallen asleep on a pallet next to Soo's bed, Ha Jin sat up in the darkness, trying to make sense of the disjointed thoughts and those thoughts from before, that kept coming at her in flashes, hard to grasp.

Ha Jin was sure, so sure, this had all happened before, but she also remember Seoul and waking up from a comma she had yet to fall into. Time was a confusing, messy loop that left her stranded somewhere in the Goryeo period, where the first king Taejo was still ruling.

Still, all things considered, this might not be such a bad situation. Back in Seoul, Go Ha Jin had creditors at her heels (for money she had never even seen); her boyfriend and best friend had betrayed her and she had been fired from her job. At least here in Goryeo, people seemed to care for Hae Soo.

And so, Go Ha Jin decided to embrace this new persona. Fate moved in mysterious ways, the newly minted Hae Soo thought as she settled down in bed and drowsiness began to steal over her. Maybe this was a second chance, not only for Ha Jin but for Hae Soo as well.

And when she dreamt, it was all about him: a young man, his features obscured and hazy, his clothes dark,… but his presence, even in dreams, brought her worlds of comfort.

The next day, Ha Jin – no, Hae Soo; she was Soo now – walked around with Chae Ryung, who kept asking her questions, not quite believing that a person could forget everything just like that. Soo answered patiently, asking a bunch of questions of her own, marveling at her surroundings and making sense of her new situation, and enjoying the company of Chae Ryung. Much as it had happened last night with Lady Hae, seeing Chae Ryung alive and well, made Soo feel happy.

In those early days, she had feelings like that all the time. Reactions she couldn't explain when she met certain people. Like Princess Hwangbo Yeon Hwa, Lady Hae's sister in law. The princess was beautiful, with exquisite manners and a haughty air about her. When they had first crossed paths, Soo's defenses went up.

The Princess had berated her about gawking at her surroundings, accused her on spying on the prince and lady Hae and told her that she would teach her a lesson if she didn't stop.

"If you don't like me, you can just say so." Soo answered when the princess paused on her tirade. "No need to talk about disciplining me or anything."

If she was completely honest, living the princess speechless in the middle of the path had been very satisfactory… until Lady Hae had found out. Myung Hee called her into her rooms and gently scolded her, and asked her to be good, said that certain allowances could be made because of her injury, but that it was not wise to anger the princess.

Which was why Soo tried to be on her best behavior next time she had to spend time with the princess, trying to be helpful as the ladies of the house gathered to make lanterns to decorate the house. Soo focused on the lotus-shaped lanterns they were making, her fingers clumsy at first but as they worked, it got easier, like her fingers just knew what to do.

"You still remember how to make the lamps," Princess Yeon Hwa said, her voice sugary like syrup, when Soo showed her first creation to Lady Hae. "Perhaps you also remember how to make the glue? We need more and yours was always the best."

"Well… I can try." Soo agreed uneasily.

.

Once Soo was outside, making the glue, Soo knew this was Princess Yeon Hwa's petty revenge. Making glue was very labor intensive.

"You could let me help you, "Chae Ryung said worriedly.

"No, this is fine. I'm not going to fail." Soo declared, vigorously stirring the large pot as she huffed to blow the hair that kept falling on her face.

Another maid came by, saying that Lady Hae needed Chae Ryung. "I'll be back," Chae Ryung said, "Just make sure it does not burn, Ahgassi."

Soo waved her off. Pausing to stretch a little.

That was when she saw him. A familiar face: the man she had been speaking to before she jumped into the lake to save that little boy. Then she got another flash, of that same man, dressed very differently, saying something about how the last name Go would have been Hae in Goryeo.

Before she could talk herself out of it, Soo began to follow him, out of the household and into a busy street by a river bank… where she lost him. Where she realized she was lost. Soo was turning around, trying to get her bearings to make her way back home.

But then, people began to scream about a wolf-dog, and started to run off the path as a black-clad figure thundered down the road on horseback… and straight to where she was standing, which was probably why the man in front of her scrambled away… pushing her in the process.

Time slowed down, as Soo felt herself falling backward, toward the river… only to feel a strong arm close around her, and an instant later finding herself atop of a horse, not sure how that had happened. Half a second later, she just didn't care. Her dreams of the previous night came into focus: the long hair, the half mask, that mocking smile and the worried eyes that gave his feelings away; she had seen them before.

It was him.

If I could, I would go back and say "yes" the first time you asked me to marry you.

I would go back to the first day we met, and I would hold on so tight, and I would never let you go.

The words came to her mind so clear that she could see herself writing them, the brush heavy on her hand. Then the visions came, and they were all about him. Some were scary, bathed in red; but most of them were about stars, and lakes, the sea… about feeling safe.

Soo could not take her eyes off him as the horse slowed down and stopped. Soo felt him change his hold on her and knew he was going to push her off, so she did the first thing she could think off… and wrapped her arms around him, making them fall together.

He did not appreciate that, but still broke her fall with his own body.

"I'm so sorry!" Soo said, rushing to stand up and offering him her hand to help him up, which he battled away ill-temperedly. "But it really is all your fault, you know?"

"What?!" the indignation and anger in his voice should have scarred her, but Soo found she could only smile.

"You shouldn't have been racing down such a narrow road to begin with,"

He glared at her and got back onto his horse.

"Wait!" Soo called out and he stopped, still glaring. "You could have caused a big accident, people come before ca-before horses!"

Annoyed, he pulled on the rains of his horse, making it rear up in her direction, forcing her to step back, and then he was speeding down the road once more.

"Hey! You! Wait!"

"Forget about him, Ahgassi." An old woman said. "You are lucky he didn't do something worse to you."

"He wasn't going to hurt me." Soo blurted out but before the woman could answer, Chae Ryung showed up to drag her home. Apparently, the princess had been asking about her.

**00**00**

It really grew tedious, the fourth prince Wang So thought, the way his brothers never quite looked at him, his third brother's snide comments, and even the way his 8th brother and sister always tried so hard.

Wang So welcomed the distraction of the maids that came in to serve them refreshments, he leaned back on his chair and would have dosed off, if not for the small, pink clad figure that followed the maids, skulking about the edge of the room, hiding her face.

Apparently, she was no stranger to outrageous behavior like what she had displayed on the road with him, as his 10th brother, Eun, quickly got into an argument with her, which prompted her to flee the room, with Eun in close pursuit.

Not ten minutes later, all his brother rushed out – with him following at a more leisure pace – to witness that girl and Eun in the middle of a brawl, which the prince was currently losing, as she called him a pervert.

Amusing as it was, it had to be stopped, which Wang So did by grabbing the girl's wrist, stopping her from hitting Eun and pulling her off him, which Eun rose to his feet and tried to go after her again, only to be stopped by Wook.

Feeling his work was done, So let go of her hand – though he had to force himself to do so – and left the scene, only to find herself being chased by her.

"You shouldn't have helped him," She screamed, hot at his heels, "That little prince needs to learn a lesson! He was spying on the servant girls!"

"And what lesson would that be, uh? What could you teach him? He is a prince." So said over his shoulder, slowing down but not stopping.

"So what? Fairness has nothing to do with status or rank, in fact, the higher you are the more you should care about justice, don't you think?"

Justice, what a pretty and useless sentiment. Just how naïve was she?

"Wait!" She called again, and this time he actually stopped- "There was something else I wanted to tell you."

"What? Are you going to lecture me some more about where and how can I ride my horse?"

"I wasn't going to, but perhaps I should." She said severely and eh turned to leave once more. "No! wait! I was teasing you."

"That's not very smart. I don't like being 'teased'."

"Stop pretending to be menacing. You are not going to hurt me." Hae Soo said simply, rendering him speechless as she stepped a little closer, "I'm Hae Soo, by the way." He was silent, just staring at her until she grew a little uncomfortable and blushed. "Um… this is the part where you tell me your name."

"Have you never heard of the wolf-dog?"

Soo shrugged, "I heard people calling you that by the road, but I doubt that's your name. No one is called Wolf-Dog. Didn't that little prince call you So?"

"You really don't know how I am?"

Soo grinned, "It's hard to say, I couldn't be certain. I hit my head, you see, and I almost drowned, that probably didn't help. So I don't remember much from before, say, two days ago, maybe?"

"And that's supposed to be a credible explanation?" Wang So said, not very nicely.

Soo sighed, and he felt like he had kicked a puppy. "Anyway, I wanted to thank you for not letting me fall into the river –" Hae Soo bowed, "Even if you did push me off your horse afterward."

"I-um" No one had ever thanked him for anything in his life. "You are welcome?"

Soo smiled at him, her dimples showing.

"Soo-ah!" Lady Hae called out to her, coming from the path that lead to the house.

Hae Soo sighed dejectedly, beginning to recognize that tone of voice. "It seems I got myself into some trouble again. Excuse me."

Wang So stood in the middle of the path, watching her scamper off and join Lady Hae.

"Hae Soo," He said to himself, shaking his head, not knowing that the course of his life had just altered forever.

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**Thanks for making it all the way through, And I would really love hearing your thoughts on the story.**  
**I'm currently working on editing the third chapter, so I'll probably post the second one when I get that done.**  
**I'm not promising weekly updates or anything, sorry. Work always gets in the way when I do that.**


	3. Ripples in the Water

**Here is the next chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it!**

**Thanks to Sandy for everything. **

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**Chapter Two**

**Ripples in the Water**

Hae Soo wandered around the Eighth Prince's compound without any particular direction. Lady Hae had scolded her for hitting the Tenth Prince, as had Princess Yeon Hwa and she was under orders to make herself scarce and to keep out of trouble. Chae Ryung had told her it was likely she would be punished somehow if the King found out what she had done.

She was not even allowed to participate in the preparations for the upcoming festival so she wandered for hours on end. Often, she went to the prayer towers where Lady Hae had taken her to scold her in private, but instead wound up comforting her and showing her the prayer tower that she, Lady Hae, had been building for Soo since she had come to live with her a few years ago.

It was a peaceful enough place and it usually centered her; but on that day, she felt a bit more restless and wandered until she found herself at the entrance of a cave near the public pools for washing. As the day was rather cool and the hour grew late, there was no one around. With nothing better to do, she went inside.

It was better lit than she thought, and it felt humid. After a short walk, she found that the cave opened into the largest pool at Damiwon. The place where she had surfaced just a few days ago. Slowly, Soo made her way around the boulders and sat down the edge of the pool, staring at its depths. The water had been warm, unexpectedly so, and heavy, it had felt so heavy when it pressed down on her.

Hae Soo didn't know how long she had stared at the water when she heard a flurry of movement. She knew someone was coming this way. She scrambled to run and hide behind the boulders at the back, but before she could make it, her feet slipped and she found herself back in the water, holding her breath and trying not to panic.

Soo knew from before that the pool wasn't deep. She tried to very slowly move her feet, her arms...trying to find purchase in order to put herself upward, even though she suspected that would earn her another scolding. She was running out of breath and she must have fainted at some point because suddenly her mind was filled with those disjointed, disorienting images of the future and the past and of Wang So most of all.

But then, Soo found her footing, emerging from the water in a flurry of movement.

"I thought I was going to die," She gasped to herself, blinding reaching out to steady herself with one hand, while the other tried to rub water out of her eyes. Just as her hand landed on something solid, Soo opened her eyes to find herself face to face with the person who had filled her mind just seconds ago: "Hi."

For a heartbeat or two, the Fourth Prince just stared at her, and Soo noticed something different: he wasn't wearing his half mask, his face was completely bare and her eyes found and traced the discolored skin that ran across the bridge of his nose and under his eye. As if in a trance, Soo moved the had landed on his shoulder up, toward his face… but the small movement made him react, pushing her away and covering the scar with his hand, half turning away.

"Did you see it?" He asked, turning slightly. The look in his eyes broke Soo's heart and she could only nod… which prompted him to reach out and wrap his other hand around her throat. "Forget that you saw it. Forget you saw me," He whispered angrily, right into her face.

His voice was cold and scary, but his eyes were full of fear and shame and pain…

"But-"

"If you mention this, I'll make sure your face looks just like mine," He added, pushing her backwards, which made her let out a little squeak.

So stared at her for a moment as she steadied herself, resisting the urge to help her. He was amazed at the fact that she hadn't struggled or trembled in his hold, but got scared only when he let go. Maybe she was slow witted or something. It didn't matter. He turned and walked out of the pool, grabbing his clothes without looking back.

Hae Soo stood there for a moment before scrambling out of the water as well. She felt her heart speed up and ache, making her fall to her knees as soon as she cleared the pool. The pain, she remembered this. Hae Soo's heart was weak in a way that Ha Jin's had never been, and she had to be careful with it.

"Calm down," Soo whispered to herself. "He didn't mean it and you didn't drown. Calm down." She forced herself to take deep breaths until she felt strong enough to rise. Something glittery caught her eye, so she bent down and retrieved the small object, which turned out to be a hair pin in the shape of a butterfly. Holding onto the hair pin, Soo decided to leave before the maids came to clean up after the prince.

Making her way back home in her wet clothes was a lot harder than she expected, and she was shivering by the time she could see the Eight Prince's house. There were bright lanterns lit up outside the main gate and a small group of people were waiting there.

"There you are!" Lady Hae said, half exasperated, half worried, hugging Soo before remembering she should be scolding her. "Where were you?"

"I walked farther than I thought, and I got lost. I'm sorry, Unnie."

"Managed to land into some water too, apparently." Myung Hee said, taking in Soo's wet hair and clothes.

"Tripped into a creek?" Soo offered.

Myung Hee shook her head. "Chae Ryung, take Soo inside and make sure she has something warm before bed."

"Yes, my lady," Chae Ryung said, grabbing Soo's arm. Soo was about to walk off when she stopped dead in her tracks as Myung Hee broke into a fit of coughing.

Fear came swiftly then. There was not much time left… the snow, when the snow came it would be too late. Turning to Lady Hae, Soo said solemnly: "I'm sorry I made you stand in the cold, Unnie. You shouldn't have! I'll behave from now on, I promise, but you have to take better care of yourself."

Surprised by her speech, Myung Hee only blinked. "I-"

"I'll be really good, I swear," Soo vowed.

Finally, Myung Hee smiled. "Start by going inside so I don't worry."

Soo nodded and allowed Chae Ryung to lead her away.

It wasn't until she was tucked in bed that night, holding the butterfly hairpin that Prince So had left behind at the Damiwon's pool that she thought about him again. The look in his eyes as he asked her if she had seen the scar on his face… her instinct told her he wasn't mad at her, not really… but it was something that ran deep inside of him.

Soo wondered how he had gotten that scar… or the ones all over his back.

Elsewhere in Songak, Wang So wandered the deserted gardens outside the Damiwon, unable to sleep or to go back to his Eight Brother's home just yet. He was distracted and vexed at the world and at that nosy girl most of all.

She must think him a monster now, having seen the extent of his scarring. He only hoped she would keep her mouth shut about it. Hae Soo was so small and frail looking, and contrary to popular belief, Wang So did not enjoy harming those weaker than him. But he would, he definitely would if she…

Movement behind one of the screen windows of the Damiwon caught his attention. He wasn't familiar enough with the place to know its layout, but by the hour and the candle brightly shining through the window, he assumed it must be the room of one of the senior court ladies. Probably the Head Court Lady herself, Court Lady Oh.

A moment later, the lights went out. As So turned to walk away, a movement out of the corner of his eye made him stop again. Hidden at the edge of the garden was a person, and a little bit of moonlight reflecting off his headdress had been what caught So's eye.

The man was far away, but there was no mistaking him… the question was, what was the King of Goryeo doing, lurking outside the Damiwon like a thief… or a beggar.

The next morning, Hae Soo was escorted to the Eight Prince's library early in the morning. The prince was busily moving among the shelves, and he barely paused to acknowledge that Soo had arrived. He did not address her.

Finally, Soo was forced to break the silence. "Did you need me for something?" She asked.

"Your highness," He said, still not quite giving her his attention.

"Pardon?"

"How may I serve you, Your Highness. That's the proper and polite way to address me. My sister mentioned you had forgotten polite greetings but-"

"I forgot pretty much everything!" Soo interrupted, "not just the greeting…" she finished lamely.

"I can see that," He said. "It must be a difficult time for you, having forgotten everything as you said."

"I'm mana-"

"It's also dangerous," He cut her off, finally focusing on her. "What happened with the Tenth Prince was bad enough… Well, it doesn't matter. I did promise to look after you when my Lady Wife brought you here and I will do so. If you want to go back to your hometown, I'll arrange it. If your clan won't take you, I'll help you settle somewhere else…"

"You don't have to do that," Soo said surprised, following him around the various shelves when he started pacing again. "I'm not your responsibility, and I'll be all right he-" Soo cut herself off, startled at finding herself face to face with the prince, closer than what was appropriate.

He was a handsome man, Soo thought detachedly as a vision flooded her mind: This man dressed in mourning whites, weeping over never having been able to say something to someone.

Hae Soo blinked rapidly, stepping backward and shaking her head.

"Hae Soo-ssi?" Prince Wook asked, concerned.

"Sorry, I spaced out. But as I was saying, I'm not really your problem and I'm doing better every day."

"You worry lady Hae."

"I won't anymore, I promise. Even if I get bored, I'll be on my best behavior."

Prince Wook sighed tiredly. "Fine. You should go find Lady Hae now, or she'll worry I'm scolding you too much."

"I'll tell her you weren't," Soo said cheerfully, "But you should tell her too, you know?"

"What?"

"That you worry and care about her. It would make her very happy to hear that."

"Hae Soo-ssi – "He said in a warning tone.

"I'm just saying… you never know how much time you have left… the days grow shorter, colder, and you might not get another chance."


	4. In The Woods

**Thank you so much for you all your kind comments!**  
**Also, is anyone watching Hotel del Luna?**  
**I almost skipped it because I'm not a fan of Yeo Jin Goo, but I'm glad I decided to try it out because IU is beautiful in every frame and Man Wol is a MOOD.**

**Anyway!**  
**Thanks to Sandy, as always!**

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**Chapter Three**

**In the Woods**

When Myung Hee had first told her that she wouldn't be allowed to go to the Palace with the rest of the household for the exorcism rite, Hae Soo had been a bit upset – mostly because she knew that Prince So would be there, and something inside her told her the prince was the key to it all, that they had to stick together – but in the end, she agreed with her cousin that it just wasn't safe, as her absent "memories" (and her 'manners') could get her in trouble. Instead, she had been given a little bit of money and told to go enjoy the lantern festival.

Once there, Soo had been fascinated by the lanterns, the people and the food, and so she had proceeded to drag Chae Ryung all over the market.

"You are going to get sick, Agassi!" Chae Ryung admonished, when Soo bit into her fifth sweet of the night.

"I'm just enjoying myself," Soo countered. They were resting for a moment before heading back home. That's when Soo caught a flurry of movement over the roofs of some nearby buildings.

Several dark-clad figures were running, away from the palace and into the woods that surrounded Songak. She didn't recognize the first few men, but she did recognize the last one.

"I'll be right back!" Hae Soo yelled over her shoulder, already running after Prince So, distractedly patting her robe to check if she still had the hairpin with her. She needed to return it before she lost it and it was while pondering that that she managed to lose the fourth prince.

Hae Soo wasn't sure which direction to take once she was in the woods. She tried following some voices she could hear in the distance, but the scene she found had her reeling and quickly running in the opposite direction. After walking downhill for a few minutes, she finally found Prince So, who was facing another black clad man, wearing a mask; neither of them had noticed her.

Hae Soo crouched low, feeling the ground for a rock, one that was big enough to make an impact but small enough so she could throw it, hoping that for once in her life, her aim wouldn't fail. Staring intently at the man wearing the mask, Soo threw the rock with all her might, marveling at the nice arc it made as it before it made contact with the back of that masked man's head. She didn't kid herself thinking it had been a strong pitch, but the man was startled and lost his balance.

It was all Prince So needed. He was all over that man in a blink of an eye, knocking him unconscious. Then he turned his head toward her… and he wasn't happy to see her. Before she could blink twice, he had his hand around her throat and was pressing her backward against the trunk of a tree. "What are you doing here?"

Hae Soo sighed, almost bored with this (usual) reaction from him.

-00-

She had given him the slip.

One moment Wang So was demanding to know why she had walked into a forest teeming with assassins – "I didn't know they were assassins!"she said - and the next thing he knew, he was on the receiving end of one of her lectures – on how he didn't take proper care of himself - while she pressed a handkerchief to the wound she found on his arm, tying it in place with a length of ribbon she produced out of nowhere.

Wang So kept looking between her and the still unconscious man, trying to decide what he should do next: He needed to take the man back to the palace, but the forest wasn't safe. And why did he care about the safety of this annoying little creature? Hell, if he knew-

Hae Soo kept chattering away, mumbling about infection and something he thought sounded like 'antibiotics,' whatever that was. When he suddenly shushed her. More people were coming his way, by the looks of it; it was probably some of his brothers who were also searching for the would-be assassins.

"Hide behind that tree, I'll check who they are and get someone to escort you home."

"That really isn't necessary," Hae Soo said, taking a few steps backward and not in the direction he had pointed to.

The instant he turned back to ask the men to identify themselves – though he had already recognized his Eighth brother – she had snuck off into the forest she NOW knew for certain was full of assassins.

-.-

Hae Soo walked downhill, surprised to realize she had been closer to the edge of the market than she had first thought, quickly finding Chae Ryung where she had left her.

"Ahgassi!" She had said with both relief and reproach. "I was so worried! They said someone tried to kill the crown prince."

Soo nodded. "That explains it."

"Explains what?"

"Nothing," Soo said with a smile. "Let's go home so Unnie finds us there when she returns and doesn't worry."

"Now you worry about that, Ahgassi." Chae Ryung complained but followed Hae Soo, gently steering her back toward the Eight Prince's compound. "And why are there so many stains on your clothes?"

-.-

In the end, Wang So took the captured assassin back to the palace. There, Crown Prince Mu took over, ordering the man to be put in a cell and closely monitored. They had tried to do an early interrogation, but the man wasn't cooperative. So would have gone back to look for her then, but Mu had dragged him to see one of the royal physicians instead.

"This is nothing, we should keep investigating." So protested, itching to get back to the forest. Maybe Wook had found her… but maybe not. Maybe she had gotten lost or...

"We have men searching the woods. We'll try to interrogate the one you caught again in the morning."

So hissed as the physician cleaned his wound, but otherwise stayed still. "Fine. I need to go yell at someone anyway," So said cryptically, pocketing the length of ribbon and handkerchief Hae Soo had used to tie his wounds.

Surely, they had found her.

Mu nodded, looking at his younger brother contemplatively, "You did it, So. Caught them."

"Caught one," So shook his head. "We still need to find who is behind it. This is only the beginning."

It was almost morning when So made it back to the Eight Prince's residence where the inkiness of the sky started to alight at the horizon line. He was exhausted, and the painkiller concoction the doctor had given him was not doing much for him other than make him groggy.

He knew the servants would be up soon, but he had to check on her. The little idiot had snuck off on him and if something had happened to her…

As So approached the side of the house where Soo slept, he noticed everything was quiet and still, except for her room which was lit up by a few candles from inside; even from a distance, he could make out a shape sitting up in bed. It had to be her, otherwise a worried Lady Hae would be here.

Satisfied, he went back to his room. In the morning, he would ask her if she had seen anything else in the woods… after he yelled at her for recklessly putting herself in danger.

0.0

But with Hae Soo, it seemed like he was destined not to have the upper hand. She had shown up outside his room with a tray and before he could tell her off for running from him in the forest, she began nagging him about his wound. She demanded to see if it had been treated properly and told him to lift his sleeve so she could change the bandage.

"This isn't a job for you."

"Who else will do it, then?" Soo said, cleaning the cut with fresh water and patting it dry before applying a sweet-smelling poultice.

"I meant to ask if you saw anything else in the forest last night."

Soo paused to grab a length of linen. "Sure I did," She explained, focusing on bandaging his arm. "Before I found you, I saw a group of men in the woods; they were wearing costumes like the man you caught, and they were cornered by others. I think they knew each other because there was no struggle or anything… until they were killed."

"What?"

"They were all killed," Soo paused to shudder. "Then I ran in the opposite direction and found you."

"Do you remember anything else?"

Soo closed her eyes. "They were all dressed the same, except for the man who seemed to be in charge. He wasn't wearing a mask and his costume was made of fur."

"Fur?"

Soo nodded, "I couldn't see the color of it, though, or his face. I don't think they saw me either."

"They would have killed you if they had," So said distractedly, thinking of the night before, and the only person who had worn fur in his costume.

"Why must there always be a death threat when I'm with you?" Soo asked in an exasperated sigh.

So smiled, forgetting the rest for a second, but only one second. "You were both incredibly lucky and incredibly foolish last night! Running into the forest like that and then running off! When you knew there were assassins all over those woods!" He added, voice getting louder as he warmed to the subject.

"Shhh!" Soo said, covering his mouth with both her hands. "No one knows I was there! Or that I'm here, for that matter."

"You are lucky I need to go to the palace today," He said after he pried her hands away, but his voice had lost all its sternness and he rather suspected he might be smiling at her. Worse, he had to force himself to let go of her hands, which he had held for a moment too long.

"Look for me when you get back, and I'll change the bandage," Soo took her tray and preceded him from the room.

So waited until her steps had faded before leaving the room himself. She had been right in pointing out that it would be improper for her to be in his room, much less alone with him.

As he closed the door, Yeon Hwa appeared carrying a tray not dissimilar to the one Soo had had with her.

"Good morning," So greeted.

"I heard you were hurt during the rite and came to see to your wound."

"Already done." When she frowned, he added, "The royal physician saw me last night. Excuse me."

Yeon Hwa smiled until he turned away, then her expression turned sour. Wang So had never rejected her attention like that.

* * *

_**Author's Note: thanks so much for reading!**_

_**Please leave a comment if you can!**_


	5. Points of Inflexion

_**Here we go! I don't think it took so long this time!**_  
_**I hope you enjoy it!**_

_**Thanks for your patience, and to Sandy for everything!**_

* * *

**Chapter Four: **

**Points of Inflexion**

All in all, the day had been a success in Hae Soo's opinion.

After taking care of the Fourth Prince's wound, she had wandered back to her room and stayed there for a while, until Chae Ryung came to 'wake her up' – the maid had been surprised to find Soo already dressed and tidying up the room when she arrived. It was something that the 'old' Hae Soo was not known for, apparently.

Then she had gone off for a walk with her Unnie. They both took care of staying away from the princess, who was in a bad mood for some reason.

They were both making their way back to their main house when they were surprised by the arrival of visitors.

"Came to check on you after last night's events; we didn't have the opportunity to talk." A smiling Wang Baek Ah said to Lady Hae, who had greeted him with a big smile.

"You know you don't need an excuse to come," she said warmly. "Soo-ah, ask Chae Ryung to bring some tea to the garden pavilion, will you?"

"Yes, Unnie." Soo said, studiously ignoring the other visitor, who happened to be the Tenth Prince... until she caught the look her Unnie sent her before walking away with the Fourteenth Prince, whom apparently, she was very close with.

Hae Soo took a deep breath and turned towards the little prince, but before she could speak, he interrupted her.

"I've spoken to His Majesty," he said, affecting an 'important' tone of voice. "I told him it was all an accident so you don't have to worry about what you did. You may say thank you, now."

"Thank you," Hae Soo said shortly. "I'm sorry about your eye," She said, pointing to the mostly healed black eye.

"Yes, well…"

"But you were still wrong,"

"Excuse me?"

"Spying on the female servants is wrong, and beneath the dignity of a prince," Soo declared, starting to walk toward the kitchen where Chae Ryung was sure to be.

"I don't-" The Tenth Prince was very surprised to suddenly find himself on the receiving end of a lecture and wasn't sure what to say.

"You are a very privileged person in this world, are you not? You are a Prince of the Great Goryeo empire."

"Yes-"

"You have so much, your highness." So said, "You should be mindful of the people who don't. When people offer you their honest work, you shouldn't pay them back by taking advantage."

"I had never thought about it like that," The Tenth Prince said, a little shamefaced.

Hae Soo nodded. "But now you know." She offered him a gentle smile.

The Tenth Prince smiled back, going with Hae Soo to request snacks before following her to the pavilion, where his fourteenth brother was playing the gayageum for Lady Hae.

The entire day had been one failure after another.

Wang So had combed the area where Hae Soo told him she had seen the assassins being executed, and though he did find traces of blood, there were no bodies. The ground looked undisturbed, so he doubted they had been buried there.

When it was clear that was a dead-end, he had gone to the palace where the bodies of the assassins that had died early on the attack were being examined. They had found that all the assassins had had their tongues cut off; same as the one assassin they had caught alive, and who had proven to be quite uncooperative.

No matter what they did to the man, he didn't react, and they had done quite a lot.

He felt dirty as he made his way back to Wook's house that evening.

Needing more time to clear his head, Wang So took a turn and found himself near the prayer stones that sat at the edge of Wook's property. And, of course, who else would be there but Hae Soo.

She stood in front of one of the stone piles with her eyes closed, talking under her breath. So had decided to leave before she noticed but then she opened her eyes and smiled at him.

"I was beginning to worry about you," She said, bowing one last time to the stones before making her way toward him, like it was midday and they had happened to meet in the market or something. "Did your wound bother you?"

"No," He said shortly.

"That's good, but it will probably start itching soon."

"That is the least of my problems," He snapped, not angry at her but angry and lashing out just a bit.

"Tell me your problems then, I'm an excellent listener," Hae Soo answered, nonplussed

He stared at her for a moment. This slip of a girl confused him and frustrated him but here he was. "What are you doing, Hae Soo?"

"What do you mean?"

"Why are you always seeking me out? Did someone put you up to it? What do you expect to gain?"

"Your trust and friendship. And maybe that you stop dropping death threats each time we talk. We both know you're not going to hurt me so it's just bothersome," Soo said, counting out her reasons with her fingers.

"Why do you believe that? No one else does."

"I don't know about other people; I just know about myself," Soo said. "And I like spending time with you."

"Why?"

Soo paused for a moment, thinking of the visions she has of him and the comfort she felt in his presence; of the certainty she had that Wang So would never hurt her, no matter what else happened in this world. That even if she was born Go Ha Jin, it was Hae Soo she was meant to be in this time with this person. That Wang So was the one person she shouldn't let go of.

"I'll tell you soon," Soo said finally, a smile forming on her lips. "When you're ready to know."

"That's no answer at all."

Soo nodded and turned to leave. "Let's go back, your highness. It grows late."

They talked the whole way back, or Soo talked while he nodded and listened and made "mmm" sounds every once in a while. He wouldn't admit it, but he liked her voice.

Hae Soo told him about how Prince Eun – she had finally stopped calling him Little Prince – had visited today, and apparently, she wasn't going to get into trouble over the black eye she had given him, and how he had asked if he could come visit again soon.

"I think he just wants someone to play with," Soo said pensively.

"For what I know, his mother's family spoils him terribly and always let him get his own way. Maybe he likes that you don't let him have his way," So answered.

"I did lecture him a bit, I'm afraid," Soo sighed. But she didn't regret it

Just because she was now a thousand years removed from her time and finding ways to adapt, that didn't mean she was going to forget all her modern sensibilities.

"Somehow, I'm not surprised."

"It's not my fault all you princes need to be lectured, okay?"

"What does 'Okay' mean?"

Soo laughed awkwardly before answering, "It's an expression of agreement, or that things are alright," She answered, making the OK sign with her fingers as So blinked at her but didn't comment further over her strange speech. Soo just went on with how she had helped Lady Hae serve tea, and about listening to Prince Baek Ah play music.

By the time they reached Wook's house, So had stopped thinking of the things he had done that day, and even put up with her cleaning his wound again and changing the bandage.

He was able to part ways with Hae Soo feeling a lot better than when he found her.

Instead, he lay in bed thinking of her, absently stroking the fresh bandage on his arm. He wondered in the back of his mind if she thought about him as well.

-00-

It had taken So but a few days to figure out who was behind the assassination attempt. There had only been one person in the rite who had been wearing fur, and one person who had the most to gain if the crown prince died. Wang So felt torn, between the brother that had saved his life as a child; and the mother whose love he had always craved.

In the end, he made a choice. Hoping it had been the right one. He had ridden out to the temple where the assassins lived and confronted them… it had been a massacre. Then, for good measure, he set the temple on fire. Not a trace would remain.

Afterwards, he had gone to tell Queen Yoo let her know she was safe, that he had made her safe. But the Queen had not been pleased that So had killed her assassins, called him a beast and yelled at him to leave.

Wang So finally understood that he was nothing to her…

-00-

Soo couldn't sleep. Something was making her anxious and she didn't know what it was; all she knew was that she was worried about something. Giving up on sleep late that night, Soo decided to walk toward the prayer stones which were quickly becoming her favorite place in Songak.

Lost in her thoughts, she didn't hear him, but once she did...

"Stop!" She cried, trying to hold onto him with all her strength, keeping him from destroying any more of the prayer stones. "Stop. You have to stop."

He pushed her off, making her fall. "Blood?" She said to herself, finding it on her hands where she had held onto him. "Are you wounded?"

"It's the blood of the ones I killed today," He said with a crazed laugh, going back to destroying the nearest pile of stones, muttering about mothers and other things.

Soo got to her feet and pulled him off again. "You have to stop now." Her voice was heartbreakingly gentle, taking his arm with both of her hands. "You're hurt. Are you bleeding anywhere else?"

"Have you no sense of self-preservation?" He roared, and the next thing she knew he had grabbed her shoulders and was glaring at her, shaking her a little "You should be running. I just told you I killed people!"

"Tell me why then? Was it for fun?" She asked bluntly, surprising him enough that she managed to remove his hands from her shoulders and hold his hands instead. "I somehow doubt it, or you wouldn't be here doing this."

"You can't be unafraid… even my mother thinks I'm a beast… no matter what I do. Even if I-" Wang So fell silent, unable to admit out loud what he had done.

"Being bad and doing bad things aren't the same thing, your highness. Sometimes we must do bad things to survive, or to protect the people we love. Sometimes you don't even get a say in the matter. The world is just like that."

"Don't delude yourself, that's just an excuse." And why was she excusing him?

"It's not." Soo said. "All I mean is that intent matters. The reasons why we do things matter. At least for me. Maybe you still hurt people and maybe you won't be forgiven, but I can understand you."

"Go home, Hae Soo." He said, backing away and forcing her to let go of him. He sounded tired and looked utterly devastated as he faded into the shadows.


	6. Unexpected Encounters

**Thank you so much for all your patience! Hope everyone is staying safe! Love y'all. And thanks to Sandy for all her help!**

* * *

**Chapter Five: **

**Unexpected Encounters**

Over the next few days, Wang So tried his best to avoid her, which wasn't that hard all things considered: first of all, the investigation on the assassination attempt during the rite was still ongoing and second, he still had "classes" to attend with the rest of his brothers. And when he didn't have to go to the Palace, Wang So was good at being invisible when he wished to be. Also surprisingly, he had already learned Hae Soo's favorite places within Wook's household, and he could easily avoid them. In just a few days of acquaintance, he had already learned her routines, infuriating as that was.

But fate would have it that he couldn't avoid her forever.

He and his brothers had been attending lessons in the palace with Ji Mong when Yo began making despairing comments about Baek Ah's Silla family. Since they all had the same father, it was their mother's standing that marked the true rank among his sons.

Although Wang Won was older, his mother was from a lesser family, and thus both Wang Eun (whose grandfather could be considered one of the founding fathers of Goryeo) and Wang Jung (youngest son of the powerful Hwanghu), had a higher standing.

Baek Ah's grandfather had once been the powerful Silla king, but since they had been conquered, the erstwhile king was not even allowed in the capital anymore. Though Taejo seemed to like his 13th son well enough, no one would believe he had any political power.

That day, though, Wang So hadn't been in the mood to hear Wang Yo rant about it and wound up standing up for Baek Ah, pointing out that no matter who their respective mothers were, they were still subjects of the king first and his sons second.

Baek Ah had been thankful, but tensions were high so Wook, ever the peacemaker, said that perhaps there were enough lessons for a day and that everyone was welcome back at his home for refreshments.

Usually, So walked by himself, but that day Baek Ah hung back to walk with him – Baek Ah was a chatter, much like Hae Soo – behind the rest of their brothers.

That's when So spotted _her_ in the middle of an argument with Yeon Hwa, who was intent on punishing that maid that often trailed after Hae Soo. It took him but a second to realize this was not going to end well, so he began to walk faster, with a perplexed Baek Ah in tow.

-00-

Hae Soo knew the Fourth Prince was avoiding her and she felt rather dejected. She tried to keep herself busy and be helpful to Myung Hee to distract herself; but whenever she would come back to her room, her eyes would land on the butterfly hairpin she had yet to return to Prince So; and she would begin thinking of him all over again.

She wondered over and over what could have happened to make him act like he had by the prayer stones. She worried over him.

Finally, annoyed at her own pining, Soo decided to return the hairpin –one less distraction – and sent Chae Ryung to put the hairpin in his room since it would be less suspicious.

But something must have gone wrong because the next time she saw Chae Ryung, she was tied up and being whipped by another maid under the supervision of Princess Yeon Hwa.

"What do you think you're doing?" Soo said, standing between Chae Ryung and Yeon Hwa's maid.

"Punishing this thieving maid. Do not interfere. I'm in charge here."

"Lady Hae is the lady of this house, not you. If you are going to punish someone from her staff, you should at least tell her," Soo said. "And Chae Ryung is not a thief."

"Then why was she in the Fourth Prince's room taking this?" Yeon Hwa said snidely, showing Soo the butterfly hairpin.

"I gave it to her to return to his Highness."

"This isn't something you could own."

"I just told you that it belongs to the Prince. I asked Chae Ryung to return it to him since it wouldn't be proper for me to go into his room, would it?" Never mind that she had been to his room before; the princess did not need to know that.

"If it belongs to the Prince, then why did you have it? Perhaps you are the thief?"

"I can't tell you why I have it, but I didn't steal it. Why would I be giving it back if I had?"

Yeon Hwa was running out of arguments and looking a bit like a fool, which she did not appreciate. "Step aside, Hae Soo," Yeon Hwa said through gritted teeth before ordering her maid to keep going.

But Soo wouldn't budge. "If you so want to hit someone, hit me. Leave Chae Ryung alone."

Yeon Hwa blinked then smirked. "Fine. Tie her up." She ordered the maid, who now looked uncertain. Everyone knew how much Lady Hae dotted on her younger cousin…

But the Princess would not be deterred. When Soo turned to untie Chae Ryung, Yeon Hwa snatched the stick from the maid and struck Soo. Soo flinched and bit her lip. Her eyes teared up, but she would not cry out. Soo braced for the next strike, but it didn't come. Instead…

"That's enough," Wang So said, grabbing Yeon Hwa's arm and keeping her from swinging.

"Orabeoni, don't interfere with household matters; this isn't your concern."

"If I heard you correctly, the issue seems to be about my property. So I beg to differ," So said, letting her struggle to free her arm for a bit before letting her go. "She's mine if there is a punishment to give, of which I'm not sure."

"I was just returning the hairpin, really. Neither Chae Ryung nor I stole it," Soo said quickly.

"That's true!" Eun said, jumping in. "Soo told me- I mean, I saw her pick it up after our brother dropped it outside his room last time I was here." It was a blatant lie, but no one seemed inclined to contradict him

"That solves it then," So indicated with a movement of his head that it was time for Hae Soo to leave.

"But-"Yeon Hwa was fuming. She had just been humiliated in front of all of her brothers.

"That's enough, Yeon Hwa," Wook said finally. "I'm sure you have other things to do."

Soo finished untying Chae Ryung and quickly bowed to the princes before she took the maid away to check her wounds. Prince Eun worriedly trailed after them, offering clueless but earnest advice.

-000—

Later that afternoon, once Chae Ryung was safely in the servant's quarters, the wounds on her back bandaged and with Lady Hae's permission to rest for the reminder of the afternoon, Soo decided to take a walk to clear her head. She was angry and worried, and her heart was aching a little. She really needed to calm down.

Soo was looking down, rubbing her chest and muttering to herself when she smacked right into Prince So. Looking up at his frowning face, she quickly reached up to grab the side of her head and went "Ah, ah, aww, aww!"

"You bumped into me," The prince said pointedly.

Soo straightened and defiantly rubbed her forehead for a bit more, sniffling too for good measure. "I really didn't steal the hairpin. You dropped it that time in Damiwon, and you said I couldn't tell anyone I had seen you then so…" She trailed off as he tensed. "That's what happened."

So looked down at her. "Are you all right?"

Before she could prevent it, a small smile formed on her lips. "I'm fine."

"How can you be smiling after that?"

Soo shrugged. "It could have been worse. I'm glad you came when you did."

"You are glad?"

"I'm always glad to see you, your Highness. Haven't you noticed?" Soo pouted, forgetting her troubles in lieu of teasing him a bit.

Wang So shook his head. He would not be distracted by her pout, no matter how cute it was. "Why? Why do you say things like that?"

Soo shrugged again.

"You really aren't afraid of me, are you? Even after what you saw last time?"

"I know you are not someone I should take lightly but no, I'm not afraid of you. I know you won't hurt me."

"How can you be sure?"

Soo paused for a long time; this was the second time he asked her why she knew she was safe with him. And Soo thought of the visions and dreams that came at her from time to time. They were growing hazier and far in between as time went on, but Soo was sure of something: if all of this had happened before and ended in tragedy like she had seen (or remembered or whatever the visions were) this was the one person who never left her side, even when it had cost him.

He had loved her.

And he deserved the truth… as much as she could tell him.

"What if I told you that when I was drowning, I saw how our future would be like if we didn't stick together? That bad things would happen when we are apart? That we spend the next thousand years looking for each other but never see one another again...That this is our chance to make our own stars?"

"Is that why you are pushing for this?" He said, awkwardly waving to the space between them. "Some sort of… fate?"

"Not entirely," Soo said thoughtfully. "That is much simpler than fate."

"What? Do I make your heart flutter every time you see me?" He said sarcastically.

"No," She said succinctly and tried not to laugh at his glare. "I mean, you can make my heart flutter when you smile – which you don't do often enough, by the way; but it's not that. Every day when I first see you, I feel peaceful. Safe. Since the first day when I didn't know you and I was pretty sure you were going to throw me off your horse? I felt it then."

He had been hurt too much in this life to take her words at face value; he wasn't sure if he could believe her, trust her or ever talk about it like her, like it was meant to be, like they were writing it in the stars.

But he had to admit that there was a pull there. That when he first saw her by the riverbank, his first impulse had been to ride off with her and keep her to himself, an impulse that was overruled by his deep instinct to deny himself what he wanted, before someone else did it for him.

There was the fact his feet found their way to her without meaning to, like right now. That when he stood by her side, he felt like he was in his proper place; and when she smiled at him -when she laughed - he felt like he had finally arrived somewhere… where he was meant to be.

"Then should I say you are mine? Call you my person?" he asked dryly, looking closely at her reaction.

Soo gave him one of those smiles of hers that showed her dimples, and his own heart felt pretty fluttery. "Your person? I'd like that."

And when Soo came closer, he panicked, stepped back and left her standing there, not daring to look back in case he was tempted to do something stupid, like grabbing her and never letting her go.

Soo stared after him, smiling. She was wearing him down. Otherwise he would have just called her crazy or mocked her, and not run off like he was doing now.

Feeling quite cheerful, Soo began to hum a wordless tune as she made her way back to her room, pretending not to notice that the Fourth Prince was following her.

-00-


	7. The Discovery of You

**Thank you all for being so patient with these updates, and also many many thanks to Sandy for being the awesomest ever**

* * *

**Chapter Six: **

**The Discovery of You**

So went back to trying to avoid her, but it was harder than before. Hae Soo was always there no matter where he turned. And she always smiled at him, like seeing him really made her happy. Whenever possible, and sometimes even when it was inappropriate, she would come close and begin chattering at him, unconcerned by his lack of response.

So tried not to make eye contact or ask her any questions; she took any and all reactions as encouragement. It was while trying to avoid her that he began to walk the various paths around Wook's compound, particularly the one that went up the mountain, offering a view of the Palace in the distance.

It had seemed like a perfect hiding spot, and had worked for all of two days.

"You have managed to scare off all the maids, you know?" Soo had said conversationally, like she hadn't just materialized out of nowhere with a basket of food for him.

Her voice surprised him and he said the first thing that came to mind, trying to pretend he wasn't glad to see her. "Did you get in trouble and that's why they sent you with my food?"

"Of course not! I'm an angel," Soo said indignantly. "I volunteered."

.

This started a new pattern between them: if he was up in the mountain, it was Hae Soo that came to bring him food. (Though it really was a servant's job.) Before long, he found himself waiting for her. Sometimes she chattered at him; sometimes she just sat quietly and shared his food.

Until an unusually cold day where she took more time than usual. So moved closer to the path she usually took, trying to listen for her and wondered if he should go down the path. Knowing how clumsy she was, she might have tripped and hurt herself… but before he could make a choice, his ears perked up. He heard the sound of rustling leaves and then she came into view. Without thinking, Wang So went to meet her and help her the last few steps.

"Thank you," She said, grabbing onto him as he took the basket. "Today the path was harder than usual. Sorry I'm late."

"You shouldn't come if it's going to make you sick." Because she did look a bit off.

Soo shook her head. "No, this is good for me." She closed her eyes, leaning on the tree he had propped her against.

"How is this good for you?"

With her eyes still closed she told him: "My heart is not very good. I think it held too much sorrow in my past life, and now it's tired and sometimes hurts."

"I'm still waiting for the part where climbing the mountain is good for you."

"Walking is excellent exercise for the heart, Your Highness. It makes it stronger. Swimming would be good too, but I don't really like the water since I almost drowned, which probably means I don't even know how to swim." Soo said, growing comfortable now that she was catching her breath. "I'm going to get my heart strong, so we can be together for a long, long time. Don't worry."

He wanted to say he wasn't worried, but the words wouldn't come out. She looked pale today, her light a little dimmer "Have some water if you have already caught your breath."

Soo obeyed, smiling at his worried frown - which he probably didn't even know he was making - and afterward she did feel better. Soo felt a little more tired than usual, though she did her best to hide it. Maybe she was coming down with a cold or something; the season was heading towards winter, after all.

Usually he tried to get rid of her as soon as the food was gone, but today he let her rest. "I should be heading back," Soo said eventually.

So nodded and stood up as well, taking the basket from her. "Let's go."

Soo was surprised but followed him, claiming to be fine each time she tripped or lagged; until So simply wrapped an arm around her to keep her steady, not letting go until Wook's house was in sight.

With a deep breath, Soo straightened and pinched her cheeks to bring a little color; she didn't want to worry Myung Hee. "I'll be going now. Thanks for keeping me company," She took the basket from him before he could react and disappeared into the house, calling for her cousin.

-000-

The next day, he didn't see her at all as he was summoned to the palace by Crown Prince Mu. They were still looking into the assassination attempt, closing in on who had owned the temple. So knew it was only a matter of time before they found out it was Queen Yoo; he wasn't certain what he would do then.

He found himself wanting to talk to Hae Soo about it. Even if he couldn't say everything (or anything, really), he knew she would understand.

By the time he made it back to Wook's house, it was mid-afternoon and he had half expected to see Hae Soo running around, causing trouble in such an endearing way that no one really scolded her for it.

But there were no traces of her. It astonished him how bereft that made him feel.

-00-

Soo was feeling miserable. She had a cold and was running a high fever, which was bad… but the worst part was not seeing Prince So, and the fact he hadn't even asked after her - she had made Chae Ryung tell her if he had. She fell into fitful sleep that night. The second day was even worse: now she was also bored and still feverish. She couldn't even read to pass the time.

For the first time since arriving in Goryeo, Soo missed TV.

And still, he hadn't asked after her, even after the doctor had come and gone. Soo told herself she was not going to cry over him. She was not.

Okay, she might have a little, she didn't know between the fever and the tonic the doctor had left; she couldn't be sure. By midafternoon, she woke up and her fever had finally broken. At least she could probably keep chasing after him tomorrow, Soo thought morosely while she waited for Chae Ryung to bring her some dinner.

Then she noticed something: a small bouquet of white, pink, and purple wildflowers tied together with a length of cloth like the ones Prince So used to tie his hair sometimes. Soo recognized the pink and whites flowers—Prince So had pointed them out a few days before, saying they were probably the last of the season. The purple ones she hadn't seen before, but they were lovely. And only one person would think of bringing her wildflowers.

She buried her face in the flowers. They made her feel better in a way no medicine could.

—

After a good night's sleep, Soo felt much better. She insisted on getting up and dressing, even though Myung Hee wanted her to stay in bed one more day.

"I just want to leave my room, Unnie! Please? I'll sit and rest. I promise." Hae Soo had whined and pouted until Myung Hee relented.

Soo put on one of her simpler hanboks, which just happened to be pink and white. In lieu of the hair adornments she usually wore, Soo cut some flowers from her bouquet and made Chae Ryung put them in her braids. The rest of the flowers she would press and keep.

As soon as she was settled in the tea room and Myung Hee was called away to tend to some household matters, Soo sent Chae Ryung to fetch her a tray so she could prepare some tea… and she got ready to make her own escape. Maybe she couldn't get to the top of the mountain today, but sometimes So liked to walk in the gardens, maybe he was there today…

Soo tiptoed to the door and opened it a crack, looking to see if anyone was around. She didn't realize he was there until she felt his breath on her cheek and then: "What are you doing, Hae Soo?"

Soo jumped and So only avoided a bump to his nose because he moved fast. "I'm not doing anything," She said, eyes wide and innocent.

"You were going to sneak off," So declared, his eyes quickly scanning her face and noting her color was better than it had been at the mountain a few days ago. He also noticed the flowers in her hair and smiled despite himself, a smile that widened when Soo began to protest her innocence.

"I was not," She said, indignant. "I just wanted to see if Chae Ryung was coming back with the tea. I thought maybe she wouldn't be able to open the door with her hands full."

"Of course, my mistake," He replied sarcastically, surprising her by placing his hands on her shoulders and steering her back toward a chair. "I brought you a book. Thought you would be bored."

"Oh," Soo looked at the bound volume he handed her. "Thank you." She blushed and wouldn't look at him.

"What is it? If you don't like it, you can just say so." He sounded annoyed but Soo now knew him enough to realize he was probably just embarrassed that she hadn't liked his gift.

Soo didn't want him to think that, so she decided to tell him the truth. "I can't read."

"You can't read?"

"Since I hit my head," Soo admitted. "I can't read hanja. Or write either. I haven't told Unnie because I don't want her to worry. It's not good for her to worry about me."

"I see." So reached for the book she still held in her lap. "Do you want me to read it to you?"

"Would you?"

"Just for a little while. I have things to do."

The book turned out to be an account of the time a scholar from Baekje spent in the Chinese court during the Tang Dynasty. At first Soo thought it would be boring, but it was filled with all sorts of court gossip—which Soo didn't feel bad about enjoying since most of those people had been dead for decades. So's reading was a little stiff at first, but Soo was just happy to hear his voice.

When Chae Ryung returned—and she almost dropped the tray upon seeing the Fourth Prince sitting there—Soo asked her to put the tray on the table before shooing her away. Then she sat down to prepare some loose-leaf tea, pouring the first cup for Prince So and placing it by his hand. Then she took her own cup and settled down to listen.

..

She didn't last long. Soo probably was still weak from the fever but hadn't wanted to admit it; So was glad he had managed to make her stay in one place. He had been in the middle of a description of an elaborate banquet when he had felt her body lean into his, and her mumbling sleepily that she was NOT sleepy.

So read a few more lines as her breathing evened out and then set the book down. Soo had curled up in the large chair next to his. She seemed comfortable enough, so he decided not to move her: instead he covered her with his outer robe before leaving to meet Crown Prince Mu

—000-


End file.
